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St. Catharines warns of door-to-door salespeople

St. Catharines is warning residents of door-to-door salespeople falsely claiming to be from the city after it received three complaints this week.

The salespeople allegedly told homeowners they were authorized to install water filters, prompting the city to put out an alert Wednesday.

“Apparently they’re claiming to be representatives of the City of St. Catharines so that’s where the red flag comes from,” said Mark Green, the city’s manager of environmental services.

“We don’t sell or install water filters or hire companies to do that on our behalf.”

Green said the three complaints were made on Tuesday by residents who had a salesperson come to their doors and who called the city afterwards with concerns.

While the door knockers may have been people trying to sell something, Green said they aren’t city employees or contractors.

He said St. Catharines doesn’t cold call residents. Most of the time it schedules appointments and sends out notices if it needs to visit a home.

In fact, it’s rare the city would go to a door unexpectedly, unless there’s an emergency water shut off because of a main break and they need to tell residents their water is about to be turned off.

The city also does water meter reads and may require access to a house, but employees always have photo ID with them. Residents are encouraged to ask to see ID.

When in doubt, residents can call the city to find out if their visitor is legitimate.

St. Catharines advises residents not to provide any bills, contracts or statements to door-to-door salespeople.

It’s not the first time the city has issued a caution.

In 2014, it warned residents about door-to-door salespeople asking to check water heaters on behalf of the city.

Niagara Regional Police have also warned about complaints of door-to-door salespeople in the past who mislead people by claiming to be with a well-known utility provider or local government department.